The Caretaker aka Leyland Kirby aka V/vm aka The Stranger

i do, but i don't have the space or the bandwidth to upload about a gig of data.

Ah man! Not even via wetransfer? Been searching for it for absolute ages.

the bandwidth for wetransfer is still a gig.

i can do a dvd in the post (he says, wondering if he has any blank dvds)

That would be fantastic! I'll reimburse any costs obv. Can I ilxmail you?

(my ilxmail doesn't work, apparently, if you give me an email addy i'll be in touch)

have just checked and i can send ilx mail to myself, so feel free.

it's not very good, mind.

So he did this a full 7 years before Dominique Leone, lol

I compiled a 28-track best-of for Leone - would be fun to see if either of you fancies doing the same for this

it's not very good, mind.

― koogs, Monday, March 4, 2019 10:54 AM (fifteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I'm aware, but that's not really the point :) Will be in touch.

Lj I'd def make a 28-track best of V/vm's 365!

The Caretaker 1999-2019

Very curious to hear how he sees this through to the end.

I tried Part V but it really didn't work for me. Hopefully this last chapter is up to a little more.

Same, V was one of the weaker ones of the series for me too. Stoked for this one though.

I quite 'liked' its utter apathy. Granted, it requires a more conceptually-minded ear, which I'm generally not willing to lend (I prefer reading to hearing about concepts).

It's a fiver for the entire 50 track digital version (lossless even) from bandcamp. Which is too much of a bargain.

and there's a pay-what-you-want bonus download here:

https://thecaretaker.bandcamp.com/album/everywhere-an-empty-bliss

EVERYWHERE, AN EMPTY BLISS

*AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD ONLY UNTIL JUNE 16th, 2019.

Work on 'Everywhere, at the end of time' was all consuming
as you can imagine. All work and no play, all work and no play.

In celebration of its completion and only for a limited time*
here is a surprise golden farewell.

Compliments of the house.

Part IV was the one that didn't really work for me -- abrasive for the sake of being abrasive. V was less heavy, but more devastating. VI seems to continue down that path, I'm loving it so far.

https://boomkat.com/products/everywhere-an-empty-bliss

hows this bloke made a living out of playing old 78s through a reverb pedal, proper dont get it

I am enjoying it but did think similar things the other day - is he creating these things from scratch or curating them? And if the latter, where from, because I'd be interested in hearing the originals.

(Archive.org has a bunch of 78s available to listen to. British library site might also have some)

Doesn't he break them all down into tiny bits and reassemble them, though? Like the Avalanches with a very specific pool of records.

Go and listen to some of the records he samples and you'll hear how he isn't "playing them through a reverb pedal" ffs

That sounds plausible, yes. They are mostly devoid of vocals for one thing and I think they've been spooked up a bit. I like them, I bought the first Haunted Ballroom thing back in the day, but I can see why people wouldn't.

meaulnes comment reminds me of all the frustrated cliches loud tourists spout in the abstract expressionism sections in any given museum, among the paintings by Newman, Rothko, Pollock etc.

Obvious comparison

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fCdTvwMuss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l236v7FfNBs

fianlly getting around to some of the later cds in the series (well, sides E and F. mp3 player only had space for the first couple) and they seem like they are edited badly - the tracks all finish suddenly, like they are truncated. wonder if it's the (unfamiliar) player?

https://www.residentadvisor.net/features/3543
ctrl+f for Caretaker, since there's sadly no index

the live show was truly a caretaker affair, very weird, troll-like, and a challenge to the stage performance format

I caught all the antics but, when the true-to-album music was accompanied by more serene visuals, caught a short nap in the middle due to jet lag

he's still got it

That sounds like classic Caretaker :) Did he croon his way through 'I write the songs'?

no crooning this time, although there was an entire segment where he sat in a comfy chair next to another dude drinking whiskey

once the pig mask/boxing match/battle of ambient intro was over, there was a very noisy part where the animation was a walk-through of a mansion where album art for his different releases were on the walls. my impression, which my friend thought seemed correct, was that as we were walking closer to the art, tracks would increase in volume. so it was a bunch of material all playing at the same time, until it kind of evened out (and I passed out from travel lag)

when I saw him in 2010 (wow, time flies) he sang The Way We Were

I stand corrected, he crooned along to a distorted Mick Hucknall music video

Whole days of stuff, now pay what you want
https://leylandkirby.bandcamp.com/album/we-drink-to-forget-the-coming-storm
https://vvmtest.bandcamp.com/album/the-death-of-rave-the-source
https://vvmtest.bandcamp.com/album/the-death-of-rave-additional

I can only listen to bits of Everywhere at the End of Time, it's so emotionally overwhelming that I either have to tune out or force myself to listen. I can't imagine what it must've been like making this and having to listen to each section dozens of times. anyway, probably the single most profound album that I never want to hear again

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0bm06ml

James Acaster's Perfect Sounds
The Caretaker's Everywhere At The End of Time is a 6-hour project exploring the descent into dementia. It had a profound effect on James, but what effect will it have on Jen Ives?

I flew ten hours to a festival, ate a small amount of food and had one beer before falling asleep at a Caretaker show (not my first!) right after he did a stage bit in a mask in 2019 ama

the video bits of wandering through The Shining-esque halls were good for sleep

I can only listen to bits of Everywhere at the End of Time, it's so emotionally overwhelming that I either have to tune out or force myself to listen.

I bought this on Bandcamp some time ago (after buying and liking Patience (After Sebald), but I haven't listened to the whole thing until today. I've spent a good part of the day listening straight through. It's . . . quite something. I think it's put me in an alternate state of consciousness.

He just posted a big update on FB announcing he's forced to put his stuff on streaming services due to so many people stealing his music and trying to monetize it themselves.

IIRC, I originally found out about his work as the Caretaker because I liked his work as the Stranger. No recollection where I found out about that work. Watching Dead Empires in Decay was in pretty regular rotation for me for a while.

Was not familiar with him, but my friend had an extra ticket to his show at Lincoln Center (https://www.lincolncenter.org/series/lincoln-center-presents/the-caretaker-moor-mother-673)

Really enjoyed his music, was just surprised that the show also included lip-synching and pretending to play an inflatable guitar to Heroes by David Bowie.

At other times he read an upside down book, drank whiskey, and stood staring and nodding at the audience.

what, no pig mask or boxing match?

a pig mask was on his table of gear, but i don't think he put it on (i didn't have my eyes open the whole time).

Whaaaatts oh fuck fuck fuck I was in New York that day